BOISE, Idaho — Boise State’s quest for perfection and BCS glory was dashed again by a missed field goal.
The fifth-ranked Broncos had a chance to win a last-second thriller against TCU on Saturday, but freshman kicker Dan Goodale’s 39-yard kick sailed wide right as time expired to give the Horned Frogs a 36-35 victory.
TCU now has a clear path to the Mountain West crown.
For the Broncos, losing this way may seem all too familiar. Last year, Boise State’s unbeaten season was spoiled when senior Kyle Brotzman missed from short range in regulation and overtime, enabling Nevada to walk away with a 34-31 overtime win.
Kellen Moore, who drove the Broncos into scoring range in the final 55 seconds, deflected any postgame parallels to the last season’s misery in Nevada, arguing instead that losses in big games rarely come down to one player or a single player.
“We missed opportunities. I don’t think it’s just one play. It’s a variety of plays,” said Moore, who threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
Leading 35-28, Boise State got the ball at its own 32 with 5:37 remaining. Moore then engineered a methodical drive and got the Broncos in scoring position when a fumble by backup running back Drew Wright was recovered by TCU with 2:26 remaining.
Then Casey Pachall took over — and that was bad news for Boise State. The sophomore was 24-of-37 for a career-best 473 yards and five touchdown passes, including scores of 75, 74 and 69 yards in the first half.
Pachall calmly marched the Horned Frogs before firing a 25-yard TD pass to Brandon Carter, who leaped over a defender to make the grab in the end zone and pull TCU within 35-34 with 1:05 remaining.
TCU coach Gary Patterson made a gutsy call, opting to go for the lead instead of the tie. It worked as Pachall tossed a short pass to Josh Boyce.
The loss snapped Boise State’s 35-game home winning streak, which had been the nation’s longest.
“We missed opportunities. I don’t think it’s just one play, it’s a variety of plays,” Moore said.”
